The embodiment of the giant squid monster in legend

Holding the throne in the world of squid species due to its large size, Architeuthis giant squid almost has no deep-sea opponents.

Giant squid attacked sperm whale.(Photo: American Museum of Natural History).

The Kraken is probably the biggest monster people have ever imagined. In Nordic mythology, the Kraken raged across the sea from Norway to Iceland. This aquatic monster specializes in attacking ships with extremely strong tentacles. If this strategy fails, the Kraken will swim around the ship, creating a whirlpool to sink the ship.

According to the International Business Times, the Kraken legend is based on the findings of a real giant squid . In 1853, the body of a giant mollusk ran aground on the Danish coast. Japetus Steenstrup, a Norwegian naturalist, restores the animal's quarry and classifies it as the giant Architeuthis squid .

The largest Architeuthis ink ever recorded was 18 meters long with oversized tentacles, but most of the specimens were smaller in size. Giant squid has the largest eyes in the animal world and this is an important part to help it survive at a depth of 1,100 - 2,000 m.

Similar to some other squid species, Architeuthis has bags in the muscle part containing liquid ammonia solution than seawater. This structure allows animals to float underwater without swimming. An unpleasant ammonia odor in muscles may also be the reason why giant ink has not been caught to extinction.

For years, scientists have argued that giant squid is a fast-paced predator like the legendary Kraken monster. A 2005 film by two Japanese researchers T. Kubodera and K. Mori provided the answer. They filmed an Architeuthis squid alive in the natural environment, at a depth of 900 meters north of the Pacific Ocean. The film shows Architeuthis swimming very fast and strong, and using tentacles to catch prey.

Despite its large size and fast speed, Architeuthis still became a prey of sperm whales , a species of toothed whale. The battle between these two giant animals often takes place, because scientists discover scars on whale skin due to tentacles that have a vacuum with the sharpness of the ink. But Architeuthis did not have tentacle muscles to squeeze the opponent's neck and never win the sperm whale in the duel. Its only option is to escape and spray ink to escape.